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How to pass Chemistry

Are you taking a chemistry class? Chemistry may be challenging, but there are many things you can do to help yourself succeed. Here are some tips to help you pass chemistry.

Traps to Avoid

Let's start out with a list of common mistakes students make which can sabotage their success with chemistry. Engaging in one or two of these may not break you, but these are dangerous practices. Avoid them if you want to pass chemistry!

• Thinking you can learn the math prerequisites at the same time as chemistry.
• Procrastinating! Putting off studying for a test until the night before, writing up labs the night before they are due, working problems the same day they are due.
• Skipping class.
• Only attending class on quiz days or leaving early.
• Relying on someone else to take notes.
• Expecting the instructor to offer extra credit or to drop a low grade.
• Copying the answers to the problems from someone else or from the text (for books that give the answers).
• Thinking a good grade early on means the class will remain the same level of dofficulty or that you won't need to study later.

Be Prepared

Chemistry is a lot harder than it needs to be if you're learning essential math skills at the same time. You should be familiar with the following concepts before setting foot in the chemistry classroom.

• writing and solving algebraic equations
• exponents
• scientific notation
• negative numbers
• logarithms
• fractions

Get Your Head on Straight

Some people psych themselves out of doing well in chemistry. It's not impossibly hard... you can do this! However, you need to set reasonable expectations for yourself. This involves keeping up with class and building bit by bit on what you learned the previous day. Chemistry is not a class you cram for on the last day. Be prepared to study.

• Take responsibility for your learning. If you are confused, let your instructor know this. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
• View chemistry class as an opportunity rather than a chore. Find something you like about chemistry and focus on that. Having a positive attitude can be a key to your success.

Attend Class

Attendance is related to success. It's partly a matter of more exposure to the subject and it's partly about getting on your instructor's good side. Teachers are much more understanding if they feel you've put forth an honest effort. If your grade is borderline, you won't gain the benefit of the doubt by disrespecting the time and effort your instructor put into lectures and labs. Being there is a start, but there is more to attendance than simply showing up.

• Arrive on time. Many instructors review concepts at the beginning of class, often indicating likely test questions and going over problems that were difficult for most of the class.
• Take notes. If it's written on the board, copy it down. If your instructor says it, write it down. Examples given on the board often show a method of solving a chemistry problem that is different from what you have in your textbook.
• Sit near the front. It's a matter of attitude. Sitting near the front engages you with the lecture, which can enhance your learning. It's easier to slack if you sit in the back.

Work the Problems

Working problems is the surest route to passing chemistry.

• Don't copy someone else's work. Do the problems yourself.
• Don't look at the answers to problems (if available) until you've gotten an answer yourself.
• You may understand how a problem is worked, but don't make the mistake of assuming that is a substitute for working through the problem on your own. Work through examples yourself. Consult the worked problem if you get stuck.
• Write down what you are trying to answer in a problem. Write down all the facts that you are given. Sometimes seeing what you know written down this way will help you recall the method for obtaining the solution.
• If you get the opportunity, help someone else work problems. If you can explain the problem to someone else, there's a good chance you truly understand it.

Read the Text

The easiest way to master chemistry concepts and problems is to see examples of those problems. You can pass some classes without opening or even having the text. Chemistry is not one of those classes. You'll use the text for example and most likely will have problem assignments in the book. The text will contain a periodic table, glossary, and helpful information regarding lab techniques and units. Have a text, read it, and bring it with you to class.

Be Smart on Tests

You need to know the information covered by tests, but it's also important to study for tests and take them the right way.

• Don't cram for a test. Don't put yourself in a position where you have to stay up all night studying. Keep up in class and study a little every day.
• Get sleep before a test. Eat breakfast. You'll perform better if you are energized.
• Read through the test before answering any questions. This will help you know what to expect and will allow you to identify the questions worth the most points.
• Be sure to answer the high-point questions. You may end up working the test backwards, but that's okay. This is especially important if you are afraid you might run out of time taking the test.
• Review returned tests. Make sure you understand what you did wrong and how to do it right. Expect to see these questions on the final exam! Even if you never see the questions again, understanding how to get the right answer will help you master the next section of the class.

How to study Chemistry

There is no 'magic formula' for learning chemistry. Basically it involves not getting behind, doing your own work, and not psyching yourself out:

• Don't procrastinate!
  Cramming does not equal learning. Yes, yes, I am a hypocrite... the queen of putting-off-until-tomorrow. Take it from someone with experience: if you wait until the night before a test to start studying you will suffer, your grades will suffer, etc.
• Don't Procrastinate
  It's worth repeating! In chemistry you build from one concept onto the next. You need a solid knowledge base to progress.
• Try Flash Cards
  Hey, they are used in elementary and primary school because FLASHCARDS WORK. Some of the information gets learned while making the cards and the rest can be learned during practice. You get to switch around the order in which you view topics, which is something most notebooks don't provide. Get some index cards and give it a try!
• Try a Highlighter
  Use it judiciously. The goal is not to turn your book or notes fluorescent. Most texts already have important concepts in bold typeface. Unless your teacher is very unusual, he or she will almost always mention likely test questions, answers, and concepts. Highlight them! Some teachers take questions from a test bank, but those who write their own are usually keeping a mental tally of concepts while teaching.
• Make Mnemonic Devices
  What you are doing here is taking the first letters of words in a sequence you are trying to memorize and making a phrase from them to serve as a memory aid. Example: the sequence of the first few elements in the periodic table H, He, Li, Be, B, C, N, O, F, Ne could be (well, the one that came to my mind was actually dirty, which is easier to remember) Hi Henry, Lookin' Big, Bad, Certainly Nasty, Old Friend - Not! Ok, it isn't great literature. One popular mnemonic device is for metric prefixes: Kilo- Hecto- Deca- Meter (liter, gram) deci- centi- milli- Kangaroos Hopping Down Mountains Drinking Chocolate Milk. Also, such phrases are even easier to memorize if you put them to music.
• Know Your Text
  Do you have a glossary? Answers to problems in the back? Self-quizzes? Appendices full of useful information? Find that out sooner rather than later. Use the glossary. You can't communicate about a subject without learning the terminology.

Why Study Chemistry?

Chemistry is the study of matter and energy and the interaction between them. There are many reasons to study chemistry, even if you aren't pursuing a career in science.

 Chemistry is everywhere in the world around you! It's in the food you eat, clothes you wear, water you drink, medicines, air, cleaners... you name it. Chemistry sometimes is called the "central science" because it connects other sciences to each others, such as biology, physics, geology and environmental science. Here are some of the best reasons to study chemistry.

1. Chemistry helps you to understand the world around you. Why does leaves change color in the fall? Why are plants green? How is cheese made? What is in soap and how does it clean? These are all questions that can be answered by applying chemistry.
2. A basic understanding of chemistry helps you to read and understand product labels.
3. Chemistry can help you make informed decisions. Will a product work as advertised or is it a scam? If you understand how chemistry works you'll be able to separate reasonable expectations from pure fiction.
4. Chemistry is at the heart of cooking. If you understand the chemical reactions involved in making baked goods rise or neutralizing acidity or thickening sauces, chances are you'll be a better cook.
5. A command of chemistry can help keep you safe! You'll know which household chemicals are dangerous to keep together or mix and which can be used safely.
6. Chemistry teaches useful skills. Because it is a science, learning chemistry means learning how to be objective and how to reason and solve problems.
7. Helps you to understand current events, including news about petroleum, product recalls, pollution, the environment and technological advances.
8. Makes life's little mysteries a little less.... mysterious. Chemistry explains how things work.
9. Chemistry opens up career options. There are many careers in chemistry, but even if you're looking for a job in another field, the analytical skills you gained in chemistry are helpful. Chemistry applies to the food industry, retail sales, transportation, art, homemaking... really any type of work you can name.
10. Chemistry is fun! There are lots of interesting chemistry projects you can do using common everyday materials. Chemistry projects don't just go boom. They can glow in the dark, change colors, produces bubbles and change states.